Wisconsin legislators plan Foxconn incentives vote next week

Wisconsin's top environmental official says a Foxconn plant in the state would be a "gift" and her agency can balance the environment with job creation.

President Donald Trump announced last month that the Taiwanese electronics company would build a plant in southeastern Wisconsin. Gov. Scott Walker has introduced a $3 billion incentives bill to help Foxconn. The measure exempts the company from a range of environmental regulations.

Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp, a Walker appointee, told the agency's board Wednesday that the bill simply streamlines the bureaucratic process for the company.

She called the Foxconn plant a gift and the DNR will prove it can balance environmental protection with the needs of businesses.

Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, a Republican, says the Assembly's jobs committee expects to take up the bill early next week with a floor session planned for Aug. 17. Passage would move it to the state Senate.

Democrats have said legislators should slow down and more closely examine the bill's potential impacts.

Walker's bill would exempt construction materials from the state and local sales tax and hand the company up to $2.85 billion in tax credits based on the number on the number of jobs generated. It also exempts the company from a host of environmental regulations and borrows $252 million to rebuild Interstate 94 near the plant site.